Waves? Yep — View the Heat Sheet and make a note of your wave. You’ll need to check in at the corresponding table number.

2. CHECK IN: You absolutely MUST be checked in to swim! Check-in at Madison Park (which is also the finish line), get numbered, put on your chip, AND stay for the pre-race meeting in order to swim.

3. PARKING: Please, absolutely NO parking allowed along Madison Street or the directly adjoining streets. The businesses need those spaces for their patrons. Respect all barricades, posted signs, driveways, etc. Also, try your very best to BE QUIET when you park in the residential areas. It’s awfully early for the neighbors and a few complained about us the past few years.

4. CATEGORY CHANGES: If you would like to switch divisions (wetsuit or nonwetsuit) you need to FIRST check in with your original division, THEN GO TO THE CHANGE TABLE where you will have a new chip and number assigned.

5. STRAGGLERS & TIME LIMIT: Maintaining everyone’s safety is key for us so we need to keep you bunched together. Single stragglers may be pulled AND those who are not on track to finish the race in 2 hours will be pulled at the 2.5-mile marker. If we need to pull you, please do as we ask without question.

6. TROUBLE ON THE COURSE: We certainly hope you won’t have any, but just in case…UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD ANYONE SWIM TO THE SHORE AND GO HOME. If you can’t finish, please flag a guard or kayak to be pulled onto a motor boat. If you head for shore we’ll have no idea that you’ve left and will see yourself on the evening news as missing. Please don’t be that person! A lifeguard OR boat will always be closer to you than the shore for the vast majority of this race.

7. EQUIPMENT: This may seem obvious, but just in case: make a checklist or pack your bag ahead of time so you don’t forget anything. Swimsuit, goggles, wetsuit (if applicable), body-glide, towel, warm clothes for before and after (even if the weather is warm, being in the water for a while will lower your body temp), water bottle, etc. Hydrate before you swim! Eat if you need to eat. Anything else? Put it on your list, you might not be quite awake when it’s time to go on Saturday.

8. REFUNDS: When you registered, you agreed that your entry fee was non-refundable, non-deferrable and non-transferable. If you opt not to swim for any reason, we hope you’ll still come and pick up your shirt and cap and stay to cheer your friends into the finish. Absolutely no bandits swimming in your place. If we find out we’ll make sure you’re not invited to return next year.

9. QUESTIONS? If you have any, check the FAQ’s on our website or the Club Assistant Page If you don’t see the answer there, please be sure to ask at the pre-race meeting, so that others can benefit from your question and our answers.

Thanks for reading thru to the end! We look forward to having you at the 16th annual Fat Salmon Open Water Swim!!! Happy Swimming!!!

Thank you Wild Salmon Seafood Market for donating Salmon for year’s Fat Salmon swim! We appreciate the support of local businesses and we want you to support them! Check them out! Copper River Salmon is available at Wild Salmon Seafood Market – limited availability so you’d better act fast!

SAFETY: Large buoys (approx. every 1/2 mile) will mark the course. Motor boats, kayaks and lifeguards will be located along the perimeter of the course. Swimmers must wear the swim caps provided at check-in. A MANDATORY safety meeting will be held before the event start. Friends and family who are not registered for this event cannot swim along with you. Lake temperature can vary: be prepared for cold water.

MORE ABOUT SAFETY & PULLING SWIMMERS: We must maintain a certain swimmer-to-boat ratio to keep our permit AND, more importantly, to keep everyone safe. Swimmers that fall too far behind the pack will be pulled. Additionally, if you are not on target to finish the 3.2 mile event in 2 hours or less, you will be pulled.

There will be NO day-of-race registration and NO filling of no-show slots.

There will be NO refunds or exchange of entries.

Someone else cannot swim for you – this jeopardizes our insurance.

There will be NO SWIMMING if you have not checked in ON TIME and attended the pre-race safety meeting.

If you lose your timing chip, you MUST tell a race official that you got out of the water or we may think that you drowned and call search & rescue. Don’t make us do that.

LOCATION: The event runs between the I-90 and 520 floating bridges along Seattle’s Lake Washington waterfront. The 3.2 Mile Race starts at Day Street Boat Ramp at the west end of the I-90 Bridge span, and ends at Madison Park in Seattle (E. Madison St. & E. Howe St). Pre-race check-in is at Madison Park where the race ends. Swimmers are responsible for transportation from the registration area to the race starts. Parking at the start area is extremely limited; carpooling is encouraged. See RACE MAP.

AWARDS: A whole salmon will be awarded to the fastest male and female swimmers in both the wetsuit and non-wetsuit divisions of the 3.2-Mile Race. Ribbons will be available for the top three finishers in all 5-yr age groups, in both divisions.

WANT TO SWIM FOR FREE?: We are offering a free registration in the form of a refund AFTER THE EVENT if you provide two kayak volunteers (each with their own kayaks) OR one motorboat or jetski adult volunteer with their one motorcraft on the day of the event. This refund is only for the Fat Salmon entry fee (excludes one-event USMS registration fee if applicable). When your boating volunteers register to help (see link below), have them indicate they are volunteering on your behalf.

REGISTRATION CLOSES on July 12th at 11:59 pm PDT or sooner if full to capacity.
A note about that USMS “One-Event” Fee… Your $20 lets you participate in this USMS-sanctioned event. For $30 more, enjoy a full-year USMS membership including access to pool meets, clinics, coaches, open water swims and magazine subscription. Contact PNARegistrar@usms.org for more info or to join.